The best magnolia perfumes are Eau de Magnolia from Frederic Malle and Acqua Di Parma Magnolia Nobile. These features a magnolia note in combination with citruses such as bergamot and supporting white florals. You can wear these magnolia perfumes especially in the spring and in the summertime.
Choosing a single magnolia perfume can be a disappointing experience.
Most perfumes get this perfume wrong. While delicate, it isn’t a sweet bomb which is where you draw the line between the good magnolia flower perfumes and the rest of them (about 90%).
The following perfumes come with a magnolia note. They aren’t a one-note perfume, but rather a more complex but still wearable interpretation.
The scent of magnolia goes great with citruses such as bergamot. It combines beautifully with other white florals such as jasmine. It also works with green notes for a more photorealistic natural scent interpretation. Here are the perfumes that best suit these combinations
Eau de Magnolia Frederic Malle
Eau de Magnolia is a citrus-fresh magnolia scent perfume. It features spicy bergamot in the opening, fresh delicate magnolia, vetiver, and patchouli in the opening. Moss, cedar, and amber are its base accords.
Fresh and woody, the magnolia perfume from Frederic Malle cost a bit more but it also delivers natural notes and accords which make you think about summer.
Magnolia perfumes such as Eau de Magnolia are generally unrealistic. But Frederic Malle managed to create a realistic magnolia perfume, which is almost impossible to match as the note of magnolia is generally unrealistic. It’s too sweet as interpreted by most perfume brands. This isn’t applicable for Eau de Magnolia.
Its natural bergamot note spices up the intense magnolia in the drydown even after 3 hours on the skin. It balances the tart-like scent of magnolia masterfully.
With a lasting power of up to 9 hours, this perfume comes with moderate silage, which might be its biggest drawback. But you can always spray more to balance this out.
Pros
- Unisex perfume but closer to feminine perfumes
- Versatile during the day
- It has an uplifting scent
Cons
- While it smells photorealistic, it’s not the most unique magnolia perfume
Acqua Di Parma Magnolia Nobile
A bit less natural but highly beautiful and alluring in an upper-class way, Magnolia Nobile is probably the most recognized perfume with magnolia on the list. It also uses citruses to bring this fantastic note to life.
However, it’s not the type of magnolia you get in Mississippi, a state that knows this flower well. It’s not even the magnolia you get in Frederic Malle’s perfume above. This magnolia is more floral due to its interesting flowery blend.
Citron, bergamot, and lemon are the perfume’s main notes.
Magnolia, tuberose, rose, and jasmine is their mids.
Vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, and sweet vanilla are its lasting power notes.
Highly addictive in its joyful reaction, the magnolia perfume features a more alluring scent for the sunny days without the maximum lasting power. It only lasts about 5 hours on the skin as most Acqua di Parma perfumes.
You can wear it on different occasions and even to work.
Pros
- It projects up to 3 feet away
- White uplifting floral magnolia perfume formula
- It can last up to 24 hours on clothes
Cons
- Not the most photorealistic Southern Magnolia interpretation
Eau d’Italie Magnolia Romana
This green floral magnolia perfume is highly refreshing. Feminine by nature, it can be a top choice as a spring perfume for women or as a summer perfume for ladies.
Cypress, basil, and petitgrain are its green opening notes, mixed with orange flower and nutmeg.
Magnolia, aquatics, tuberose, lotus, and rose are its mid accords.
Hay, musk, and cedar are its longevity notes.
Inspired by Italian nature, it resembles the combined scent and feeling of swimming out in nature, maybe in a forested area. It comes with all of the greens magnolia needs in a complex composition without citruses.
Women tired of the same bland bergamot-magnolia scent can see it as a solid alternative.
Pros
- Breezy green floral
- Suitable for mature women
- It lasts 5 hours on the skin
Cons
- Not the most versatile magnolia flower perfume
Creed Love in White
Creed Love in White magnolia flower perfume is a leader in terms of futuristic scents. Launched in 2005, it feels like the most avant-garde perfume on our list and magnolia fragrance that is not going to be out of style anytime soon.
Love in White is unisex but leaning towards the feminine. Its notes such as the opening orange peel are an idea for women who might be familiar with the scent from the smell of eye cream or night cream.
Magnolia and rice are the true stars of this perfume and you should be able to distinguish them clearly. Narcissus is also there to add an element of sophistication. Italian jasmine, iris, and Bulgarian rose are also added to the mid notes line of delicate florals.
Ambergris, sandalwood, and vanilla are its intense base notes.
Overall, it’s one of the most overlooked Creed perfumes in favor of Aventus or Irish Tweed.
But it’s not creamy which feels like Creed is a house that finally understands magnolia. This note should not be fruity and in Love in White, magnolia, and the scent, in general, is not creamy but glossy.
Pros
- Wearable in spring, summer, and fall
- Authentic magnolia note
- It lasts for about 4 hours
Cons
- A bit too royal to wear with casual outfits
Jo Malone Rose & Magnolia Cologne
Rose and Magnolia from Jo Malone is a work of art. As fragrance lovers understand, it’s not a product that can easily be found. If you can find it, you shouldn’t think twice about buying it especially if you like romantic perfumes.
Some girls would argue rose feels a bit outdated. But the rose is not the main player of this perfume and this is why the magnolia perfume is yet another Jo Malone masterpiece.
Patchouli and magnolia are the main stars of the perfume.
Pepper spices things up to an extreme making it a modern magnolia perfume for women that you can certainly wear to work.
As a true magnolia scented perfume, it also comes with interesting supporting notes. They include Bulgarian rose and geranium from the florals and moss with amber wood from the longevity notes.
Pros
- It lasts for up to 5 hours
- Strong projection
- Ideal magnolia-rose balance
Cons
- Not easy to find and sample
Pear and Pink Magnolia Crabtree & Evelyn
If you’re seeking the sweetest magnolia perfume for women out there, this scent is made for you. Impressing with sweet ripe fruit accords, it adds a new dimension to magnolia.
This list could not have been complete without a truly feminine scent. While fragrance can be worn by both men and women, you will struggle to pull this feminine masterpiece off as a man.
As a woman, you will be enchanted with notes of pear and fresh passionfruit at first. These are among the sweetest pear and passionfruit notes you can imagine.
Magnolia soon follows in the drydown. It always comes and goes with bergamot which keeps it in place and vivid through the drydown.
Lemon is also there with the same purpose.
Jasmine and osmanthus are added to the combination with iris which makes it a truly appealing feminine magnolia perfume that gets compliments.
Pros
- Fruity but not nauseating
- You can wear it to work or on dates
- Best magnolia perfume with passionfruit opening
Cons
- Simply too sweet for some women
Clive Christian Noble Collection VIII Rococo Magnolia
Dark mysterious magnolia is a part of Clive Christian’s perfume for women. It’s one of the elegant magnolia notes but which isn’t as citrusy as you’d expect. Normally, magnolia smells a bit like citrus-infused flowers. But it’s a bit darker here, mainly to add to its projection.
Mandarin orange, cassis, and bergamot are its opening notes.
Magnolia, rose, cinnamon and cloves are its mid accords.
Oakmoss and sandalwood are their base accords.
Smooth and powdery in the drydown, this magnolia fragrance lasts for a few hours. Longevity depends on your skin and it varies anywhere between 4 and 7 hours at most.
Christian Dior J’adore
J’adore is a floral women’s perfume dominated by jasmine with magnolia and ylang-ylang interpretations. A big fruity, this bright fragrance has an uplifting effect. This classic perfume for women can be a daily scent for the right woman who likes uplifting scents.
Pear, melon, mandarin orange, peach, magnolia, and bergamot are its opening notes.
Lily of the valley, tuberose, rose, orchid, plum, and violet support the jasmine in the mid notes.
Musk, vanilla, blackberry, and cedar are its base accords.
This perfume projects up to 6 feet, depending on how much you apply. It also lasts around 5 hours on average.
Versace Bright Crystal
If you love watery fragrances, Bright Crystal is a good choice for you. Wildly generic, it’s almost unapologetic about its mass appeal. No matter how much women try to run away from it, this perfume seems to intrigue, everybody. I’ve never met a woman not to like it.
Yuzu, pomegranate, and water notes are its opening blast.
Peony, lotus, and bright magnolia are its drydown accords.
Musk, mahogany, and amber tie it down.
Made for spring and summer days, it can be a date perfume for women or a classy perfume for her. It won’t make an impact in the winter. Otherwise, it lasts about 4 hours on the skin.
Lancome Miracle
Faceted magnolia describes Lancome Miracle. It’s there in the opening with litchi and in the drydown to support freesia. These 2 faces of the perfume are heightened by spices such as ginger.
Litchi and freesia open the fragrance up with some magnolia.
Pepper, ginger, jasmine, orange, and magnolia are its drydown notes where spices and magnolia stand out.
Jasmine, musk, and amber are its base notes.
Suitable for teens and as a perfume for women in their ‘20s, Miracle lasts around 5 hours and it projects about 4 feet.
Chloe for Women
Magnolia, peony, and litchi make this floral scent smell mildly sweet and certainly pink by flowers. Peony, litchi, and freesia are its opening notes.
Rose, lily of the valley, and magnolia are its mid notes.
Cedar and amber are its base accords. This popular magnolia perfume lasts around 6 hours with a single spray.
What does magnolia smell like?
Magnolia has a tart lemon smell with a vanilla-musk background. It smells floral and very fragrant. Southern Magnolia, the most common type of magnolia flower, also smells a bit like a rose.
What does magnolia look like?
Southern magnolia blossoms into zesty white flowers. It grows on magnolia trees surrounded by green leaves. One of the best magnolia perfume combinations is with green leaves, just as the flower is used in nature.
Where does magnolia come from?
Magnolia grandiflora or Southern magnolia comes from the Southern part of the United States. You can find mature magnolia trees here that are at least 200 years old.
Final considerations
Magnolia perfumes are delicate, feminine, and a bit uplifting. In the right combination, they even feel solar as they shine out in the sun in hot weather.
Magnolia is also a perfume that is easy to layer. We recommend Jo Malone Rose & Magnolia Cologne and Acqua Nobile Magnolia by Acqua Di Parma to create the perfect perfume with magnolia notes for layering.